Meet Wes

Wes is an NYC-based artist creating stunning imaginary mechanical marvels. Their surreal compositions treat the eyeballs to stunning color and satisfying organization. In our latest interview, we had a chat with Wes about Alf, their recent Vans collaboration, and whistling.

Make sure to check out their website and Instagram for the latest and greatest from this terrific artist.

A self-portrait by, Wes L Cockx

Would You Rather

get a full back tattoo of Garfield or Alf? Please explain why.

ALF! That show must be one of the earliest tv and pop culture things I can remember from when I was a kid, to say it in his own words: (see image :) )

Some Questions with Wes L Cockx

What is your favorite texture to work with? Why?

I don't really have a favorite texture or material per se, I do love combining things that would not appear in reality. CGI has the power to do things you can't do in real life, I strongly believe in exploring and experimenting with visual styles, techniques and software to push the limits of a project brief as well as my own creativity.

If you had to eat food that was only one color for the rest of your life what color would it be?

That would be the Doritos spectrum with a dash of cherry red.

Can you whistle?

Been a while since I practiced but I used to be able to very modestly, there was never a Ronnie Ronalde future me unfortunately.

Is there any creative gear you would love to get a chance to experiment with? Why?

I've been seeing some experimental cg work that was done in VR, would love to get a chance some time to play around with it and see what the possibilities are.

Do you listen to music while you work? What do you usually listen to?

Music has always been a big part of my life in some way or another, I've always loved listening to a wide range of styles from electronic to death metal. While working I tend to listen to more electronic music or things like kraut or post rock, I find the repetitiveness (is that even a word?) and longer tracks help me focus. Lately I have a these on heavy rotation while working:

Four Tet - Parallel
Edgar Froese - Stuntman
Extrawelt - Extra Welt Hits
Earth - Full Upon Her Burning Lips
Floating Points - Crush

Where do you like to take people with your work?

I try creating something you won't see in real life but has just enough imperfections and realistic looking materials so people would doubt it's real or fake. It's impressive to see how some CG work looks hundred percent realistic but I personally find it boring, I'd rather go outside (wear a mask) and take a picture of it

What was the creative process like on your recent collaboration with Vans?

Super fun! The brief was very open, they gave me the keywords minimal, playful, and low-gravity which came with a mood board of images from my own portfolio only. I explored about 10 different routes where we finalized 5 of them in the end. It's such a fun way of working compared to when a client wants you to copy somebody else's work. I understand "inspiration & references" but sometimes the line gets pushed a little too close to copying.

What program do you usually use to create your 3D renderings?

My main software for CGI has been Cinema 4D for close to 10 years now, I've gone through some different render engines in those years and use Redshift or Octane at the moment depending n what type of project I'm working on. Houdini and Rizom UV are an extra toolset for C4D in my workflow, Adobe's Photoshop & Illustrator will always be open on my workstation and After Effects comes in for animation.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Thanks for having me on here! Hey Doritos - if you are reading this, it's the third time I mention you in an interview, I'd love to collaborate on something - willing to work for a few boxes of the Orange Magic. Let's do this!

Wes L Cockx